A Puzzle by Meles
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The puzzle is available by clicking on the above grid.
Meles kicks off 2026 with another high-quality offering, showcasing lots of imaginative and clever wordplay. Thanks to him.
Across
1a Moving a picture to follow article is beneficial (11)
THERAPEUTIC: Definite article plus A PICTURE* (moving)
9a Born to fail, back from poker poorer (7)
NEEDIER: Born/originally called plus (to) fail/stop completely plus pokeR.
10a Caught ambassador boarding friend's chopper (7)
MACHETE: Abbreviations for caught and ambassador inside (boarding) friend/pal
11a Liberally slag off (not very loudly) rich and powerful people (9)
OLIGARCHS: SLAG Off RICH* (liberally/minus ff)
12a Full of fruit, taking back the skin only (5)
SATED: Some (chewy) fruit with the outside letters/skin reversed, taking back
13a Shame husband's left short (4)
PITY: Short/terse minus the abbreviation for Husband
14a Barges in river cutting costs after season starts late (10)
INTERFERES: One of the four seasons minus the initial letter plus an insertion of the abbreviation for River into some costs/expenses
16a Breaking rules at home, creating an edge (10)
INFRINGING: The usual preposition for at home plus a word that could mean creating an edge, embroidery maybe
19a We hear forest animals nap (4)
DOZE: Homophone (we hear) of some (female) forest animals
20a A result of spending a long time learning about one insect? (5)
APHID: A from the clue plus an educational qualification around the letter representing one. Very nice.
21a Tortured genius had reformed (9)
ANGUISHED: GENIUS HAD* (reformed)
23a Stop going around networking on vacation to city in part of the UK (7)
ENGLAND: Stop/finish around the outer letters of NetworkinG and one of the usual abbreviated cities. Personally I'm not fond of to as a juxtaposition indicator.
24a Excessively large net which holds equipment? (7)
TOOLBAG: Adverb meaning excessively plus abbreviation for Large plus net/catch
25a Attack from revolutionary group on poet intended for audience (11)
BOMBARDMENT: Group/ring reversed on/next to the usual poet plus a homophone (for the audience) of intended/had in mind
Down
1d Rhetorical flair from foe, beg that fight starts (3,4,2,3,3)
THE GIFT OF THE GAB: FOE BEG THAT FIGHT* (starts)
2d Show some relatives around (5)
EVITA: Hidden and reversed
3d Regularly ignored half-brain chap with name like Chad? (7)
AFRICAN: hAlF-bRaIn ChAp plus abbreviation for Name
4d Somehow man sees all at once (2,5)
EN MASSE: MAN SEES* (somehow)
5d Marks completed dresses down (5,3)
TICKS OFF: Double definition
6d Like a clothes moth in a nunnery? (8,2,5)
CREATURE OF HABIT: Cryptic definition lol
7d A French company involved without origin being clear (13)
UNCOMPLICATED: French indefinite article, the usual abbreviated COmpany, plus involved/embroiled minus its first letter
8d An order to start us off - bread's still good every now and then (5,6,2)
READY STEADY GO: Bread/cash plus still/stable plus GoOd.
15d Swap leads to locate hot power source (4,4)
WIND FARM: Locate/come across plus a (mild) hot with the lead letters swapped
17d K-pop for elderly relative? (7)
GRANDPA: What the letter K could be an abbreviation for plus pop/dad
18d Contradicted eccentric, aged ten (7)
NEGATED: AGED TEN* (eccentric)
22d United foolish to have nothing covering the middle (2,3)
IN ONE: Foolish/stupid with the centre letter replaced by an abbreviation for nothing. I'm sure Meles has justified it but to me as one rather than in one is a better synonym.
All very smart
Very enjoyable lunchtime entertainment – thanks to Meles.
My rosettes were pinned on 10a, 14a, 20a and 17d.
Thanks Meles for an enjoyable start to the NTSPP year. Caffeine not required but it was a close run thing when it came to getting across the finishing line.
Smiles for 9a. 19a, 25a, 1d, 6d, and 7d.
Thanks again and thanks in advance to Stephen L.
This was an absolute cracker of a puzzle to open the NTSPP series for 2026. It was a joy to solve from start to finish.
I assume the definition for 3d is “like Chad”, but I don’t understand quite how that leads to the answer.
It’s probably just me, but I think that 6d would perhaps work slightly better with the inclusion of “… regularly found in a nunnery?”
My page is littered with ticks with 17d my favourite.
Many thanks for the fun, Meles.
RD – in this instance, Chad is a country which can be described by the answer.
Thanks, Senf, of course. It’s a definition by example, hence the question mark. After all these years, I still get confused by them …
Very enjoyable indeed – for me this one just has the edge on Donny’s SPP which I also liked a lot. 7d was my pick of the six good long ‘uns & also particularly liked 10a&15d.
Thanks Meles.
That was great fun. A good mix of head scratchers and the straightforward. Cotd for me was 17d as it raised a smile. For a while K-pop was my granddaughter’s music of choice. Seems it was a bit of a fleeting fancy, thankfully 😀. Thanks to Meles for the entertainment.
Such an enjoyable NTSPP. I’m afraid the K-pop reference was lost on me but I constructed the answer easily enough so that didn’t matter! Impossible to decide on a favourite so I’ll just say a big thank you to Meles for an excellent puzzle.
That really hit the spot for our Sunday morning entertainment. Favourite 10a, but lots of other contenders too.
Thanks Meles.
Enjoyed this on Saturday morning in the pouring rain … cats and dogs style.
I liked 19a, 21a, 1d, 5d & 15d
Thanks to Meles